Ind vs Aus: Barinder Sran has a chance to shine at WACA

Left-arm medium fast bowler Barinder Sran has a chance to thrive at Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA), the traditional home of fast bowling today

Perth: Barinder Sran was almost unheard of until a month ago. Today, he will steam in from the famous Lillee, Marsh Stand end at the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) to showcase to the world the flair he poses.

Barinder Sran during the one-day cricket match against Western Australian XI in Perth on Saturday. Pic/AFP

On the evidence of his first couple of outings in the warm-up matches, the signs are positive but consistency will be crucial. He swings the ball and his bouncer has some venom, but Sran lacks that yard of extra pace to trouble elite batsmen. Some cricketers learn their art by playing an abundance of cricket while some just have that flair.

Captain MS Dhoni is willing to give him a run. "As far as the newcomers are concerned, we will definitely feature them and see where they stand. We may not have the luxury of just picking up the complete product to come into international cricket and start delivering from the very first game.

It is important to identify talent and at the same time, give them games quite quickly so that they get that exposure of international cricket. And we also get to see how they handle pressure and the areas where they need to improve," said Dhoni.

Watching Sran bowl, he clearly has the potential. Two back-to-back short balls even caught Virat Kohli off guard in the nets yesterday. But what followed were short, wide balls which Kohli dispatched. Soon, bowling coach Bharat Arun was seen speaking to him and for the next few balls, it was all about hitting a fuller length.

Going by what his captain said, Sran will be thrown into the deep end of this series. He will test himself against a rampaging David Warner with the new ball and a brutal James Faulkner with the old ball.